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Flattening Leaf Springs?


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I am sure this topic has been brought up before.

I was hoping for a JUST ANSWER. Simple. In basic dumb wording. I HAVE FORD 350 LEAF SPRINGS. How can I straighten them without sending them out. I am limited. So please give me ways that have BEEN TRIED AND TRUE. 

AGAIN If you respond. Please no substitutions or why I want it lol That just gets off subject and I'll get confused.

Seen alot of simliar questions and they kept getting off topic on this.

AGAIN THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!

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I HAVE FORD 350 LEAF SPRINGS. How can I straighten them without sending them out.

What are you going to use the spring for after you get it straightened?  Put back on the truck, as a spring with spring properties, working stock of the original size, knife stock, etc?

Bending the metal straight is just a little heat and hammer at the anvil.

 

Edited by Glenn
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I plan on building a cage around it. A Caution. A unsure one. But one I can try....

 

I just hope I can find a SIMPLE solution to straighten, even if its only partial. Wouldn't heating alter the strength of its "intended use" 

COULD I PARK A TRUCK ON THEM OVER NIGHT? WOULD THIS STRAIGHTEN A BIT?

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" Please no substitutions or why I want it lol"

Funny "why you want it" has a controlling factor in how you should do it!  I guess if you are willing to pay our hourly wages to type in all the various ways it could be done for specific uses it will be ok to not list what you want to use it for.

Flattening it for a rusty powerhammer is different than flattening it for a car suspension is different than flattening it for a crossbow prod.  Why are you so reluctant to supply the information needed to get a good answer?  It sounds like you will not be able to judge which method would work best for you. However you may want to look into how leaf springs are heat treated.

There is a website about cold hammering springs straight to make sword like objects from them DON'T DO IT THAT WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That method is so bad it's probably open for criminal liability.

If you can find a place that does spring repair you can probably buy straight stock and they can heat treat it for you if it requires it. Not knowing where you are at I can't suggest a place local to you.

Edited by ThomasPowers
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If you want them to still be springs do it cold with a press. That is how spring shops do it these days, and how it was done on the springs I used on my hammer. Used springs are a bad idea though, just not worth it at all since new springs are so cheap. 

If you heat them and flatten them they are just medium carbon steel (for the most part). If you knew how to properly heat treat a spring you wouldn't ask this question. 

What kind of cage do you think you can build which will protect against a catastrophic metal failure? 

 

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A quick search on this forum "straightening leaf springs"  resulted in the same question before and may yield you some info - but you have to read a bit, take a break and sit back and do some reading/research on leaf springs. The search function here on this site can be your friend as lots of these questions have been answered in lengthy threads before with lots of good information.

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" Please no substitutions or why I want it lol"

Funny "why you want it" has a controlling factor in how you should do it!  I guess if you are willing to pay our hourly wages to type in all the various ways it could be done for specific uses it will be ok to not list what you want to use it for.

Flattening it for a rusty powerhammer is different than flattening it for a car suspension is different than flattening it for a crossbow prod.  Why are you so reluctant to supply the information needed to get a good answer?  It sounds like you will not be able to judge which method would work best for you. However you may want to look into how leaf springs are heat treated.

There is a website about cold hammering springs straight to make sword like objects from them DON'T DO IT THAT WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That method is so bad it's probably open for criminal liability.

If you can find a place that does spring repair you can probably buy straight stock and they can heat treat it for you if it requires it. Not knowing where you are at I can't suggest a place local to you.

​Well "Why I want it" is for a power hammer. But when I mention this to people, they throw more cautions than solutions and different ideas of what to use etc...

I want to TRY to build one, just to see if I can. If it works GREAT. If not, its ok. But the leaf springs is how I want to do it, since I already got them delivered for $60. Already. So it might sound controlling, but I'm asking what others have done to accomplish this. To simply it all. Thanks again for responding!

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If you want them to still be springs do it cold with a press. That is how spring shops do it these days, and how it was done on the springs I used on my hammer. Used springs are a bad idea though, just not worth it at all since new springs are so cheap. 

If you heat them and flatten them they are just medium carbon steel (for the most part). If you knew how to properly heat treat a spring you wouldn't ask this question. 

What kind of cage do you think you can build which will protect against a catastrophic metal failure? 

 

​prison cell

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I'm not sure how a F350' s pack is put together. I have a couple of Rangers that have Spring sets that are bolted together. So strap  them and put them in a press and unbolt them. Then as Artist suggested straighten them cold and reassemble. Note unbolting without strapping and placing in a press might make for a good video  and a nomination for the Darwin award. Also note leaf springs for load carrying vehicles are by nature 'strong' so don't try this with a cobbled together press and a scissor jack.  

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MICO FRACTURES always a risk. But I will be taking the risk. ITS THE BUILDING that is the main objective. But would love for it to be a well working machine.

​The truth is no one should have answered your questions at all. There is inherent risk in most work, but some things are much more dangerous than others.

No one is going to give you significant dangerous information without basic cautions as well. 

Is it really to much trouble for you to have to read a few extra words in order to have your questions answered properly? 

 

As to your prison cell comment I am guessing you are just being a wise guy, but I can also assure you I will not be bothering to answer your questions in the future, which is a shame for you since I built a leaf spring helve hammer which works very, very well and likely could have answered a great many more questions for you.

Our time has value too friend. I don't see you as valuing other's time very much. 

I forgot to mention, the local spring shop built a custom pack for me, including flattening the springs for $60. 

Edited by arftist
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​The truth is no one should have answered your questions at all. There is inherent risk in most work, but some things are much more dangerous than others.

No one is going to give you significant dangerous information without basic cautions as well. 

Is it really to much trouble for you to have to read a few extra words in order to have your questions answered properly? 

 

As to your prison cell comment I am guessing you are just being a wise guy, but I can also assure you I will not be bothering to answer your questions in the future, which is a shame for you since I built a leaf spring helve hammer which works very, very well and likely could have answered a great many more questions for you.

Our time has value too friend. I don't see you as valuing other's time very much. 

I forgot to mention, the local spring shop built a custom pack for me, including flattening the springs for $60. 

​PRISON CELL COMMENT. Is actually exactly what I meant. A prison cage to keep all areas "protected" except the hand area. I don't see you're attitude on the matter being justified. But to each there own I guess...odd behavior.

And people answering my questions are just a request, I value others input or I wouldn't be asking. I wish I had a fragment of some of these guys knowledge!

And few extra words? For me I need things explained pretty much basic and to the point or I lose focus. And I don't want to take something out of context accidently.

You seem truly confrontational today...but maybe I missed something?

Prices here and pretty steep. On just about anything. Thank you though.

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I'm not sure how a F350' s pack is put together. I have a couple of Rangers that have Spring sets that are bolted together. So strap  them and put them in a press and unbolt them. Then as Artist suggested straighten them cold and reassemble. Note unbolting without strapping and placing in a press might make for a good video  and a nomination for the Darwin award. Also note leaf springs for load carrying vehicles are by nature 'strong' so don't try this with a cobbled together press and a scissor jack.  

​Well I don't want to play around with a press, I've no clue on the dangers. So if I go that route, I will definately send them to someone if the price is right.

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This isnt a "jump on the new guy" deal, but we are contributing to a historic document that may well be read by your grandchildren, and in the present may acualy answere questions you didnt know enugh to ask. Not only that you also have to realize that some of the folks answering you may well be earning$100 an hour or more, so unlike some of the young fools that have come on here with a sence of entitment, one should be a bit more "hat in hand"as it were. "Straitening truck springs for a helve type powerhammer" might have been a beter question.

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I am in SoCal High Desert. Jeremy K

-----

Knowledge should be free.

Kinda feel like you expect your dog to beg to get fed mentality. But to each their own. I personally would answer any question if I had the time. How else will anyone learn. Seems you have some pent up anger towards some..no need to vent it here bud. Respond with a peaceful opening but with jabs through your statement. Maybe you should take care how you treat others too.

Thanks though

 

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b4utoo

Knowledge should be free.

I personally would answer any question if I had the time.

I agree, knowledge SHOULD be free.

Then you would not have to pay your dues, prove your worth, or serve a 7 year apprenticeship to become a journeyman blacksmith. Knowledge should be free so you do not have to purchase a computer, pay soft wear licenses for programs, pay connection fees, internet fees, and fees for exceeding your download limits when using the internet. Memberships to the many of the blacksmithing groups and organizations should be free cause that is where the knowledge is located.  Knowledge should be free so you do not have to pay license fees, server fees, bandwidth fees etc etc in order to make a blacksmithing site with FREE knowledge available to others.

It should be free when we take time off from work and left the family at home to go to classes, seminars, demos, conferences, and other venues, and buy books and reference materials to learn about the craft. There should be free steel so you can practice and learn how metal moves. You should have free coal, free rent, free utilities, free use of any and all books, tools, anvils, power hammers, milling machines, lathes, water jet and plasma cutters, welders, and the list goes on and on.

The world of the blacksmith does not work this way. The blacksmith HAS TO PURCHASE his tools, supplies, consumables, and his education. The learning curve is long and steep. If he makes a mistake it comes out of his pocket.  He has to spend hours, days, weeks, years, and even decades, at his expense and the expense of his family, in order to gain and earn the  skill, expertise, and the knowledge he possesses.

Thank goodness for those that step up and share their knowledge to keep others from getting injured or killed, by giving away for free, the knowledge on how to do things safely, or at least to tell us to step back out of harms way and avoid what can get us injured or killed.

So a question please if you have time. Please let us know where we can go and collect some of this most valuable knowledge. We will bring the big truck to collect a full load of knowledge and haul it home.

Edited by Glenn
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Glenn, I have to say that was a very well crafted response. I hope one day I can learn to speak with such eloquence and still not sound condescending when I talk. I mean that wholeheartedly, not being smart. I'm glad we live in a world where knowledge is as free as it is, if not I'd never have a shot at doing something like blacksmithing. I do know, however that the knowledge people share on here is hard learned and even if no one else is grateful I know I am.

i will bow back out and watch and learn somemore.

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